Homecoming

Morning.

"Ding—"

The alarm clock shattered the dream in an instant. Ye Shuang slowly sat up, unable to suppress a yawn.

"Hmm?" After glancing at the empty space beside him, he got out of bed and pulled open the curtains. Sunlight spilled into the room, casting a golden sheen over the wooden floor with its rustic aesthetic.

"Beautiful weather," Ye Shuang murmured, stretching slightly as he gazed at the urban skyline beyond the floor-to-ceiling window.

It had been two days since returning to Haizhu City.

If there was one thing this trip had accomplished, it was that Bai Yuyou had become better at expressing her thoughts.

Wrapped in love, she was gradually healing into a gentle soul.

That’s what Fugui had said.

At the very least, Bai Yuyou had gone from never smiling to learning how to—though it was still rare, it marked a huge step forward.

As for other changes—

"Waaah, why did I get so much darker? I even used sunscreen!"

Two girls sat at the dining table, their skin several shades darker than before. Bai Yuyou’s transformation was especially noticeable—her originally pale, porcelain complexion had turned a deep tan, with faint outlines of her swimsuit still visible.

Strangely, Bai Yuyou didn’t seem bothered by it, while Tang Keke pouted in frustration.

"You spent days at the beach. Sunscreen doesn’t offer 100% protection—some tanning is inevitable," Ye Shuang chuckled. "At least you didn’t get sunburned, right?"

"Why do you look almost the same, Brother?" Tang Keke eyed him suspiciously. He showed no obvious signs of darkening.

"Me?" Ye Shuang couldn’t help but laugh.

He’d either been under a parasol or underwater most of the time—how could he have gotten much darker?

"I ran into An Shiyu yesterday, and she didn’t get darker either!" Tang Keke grumbled, as if it were some personal offense. "And she was way wilder than me, zooming around on that jet ski!"

"You saw her yesterday? Where’d you go?"

"I was picking up some medicine for my dad at the hospital, and there she was. She said she was visiting a patient," Tang Keke explained.

"I see." Ye Shuang thought for a moment but didn’t press further.

Breakfast was prepared by Bai Yuyou—simple sandwiches with fried eggs, paired with soy milk and some greens.

"Alright, you two have fun. I need to update my novel," Ye Shuang said after finishing his meal, heading to his desk to work on his latest chapters.

Lately, his novel’s performance had dipped, its ranking plummeting. It was probably because of winter break—readers had other ways to entertain themselves, and web novels were, after all, just a way to kill fragmented bits of time.

"If only some kind readers would click on those free gifts," he muttered to himself as he finished the day’s update.

Two chapters, four thousand words—at his usual typing speed, it took a little over two hours. By the time he finished, it was nearly noon.

Stretching, Ye Shuang turned and saw Bai Yuyou and Tang Keke slathered in cucumber slices and face masks from head to toe.

"Uh… what’s this?" he asked, puzzled.

"Brother, you wouldn’t understand. This is our emergency whitening rescue," Tang Keke said, her words muffled by the mask, making her look absurdly comical.

Ye Shuang glanced at Bai Yuyou—clearly, she wasn’t particularly invested in this and had just been dragged along.

"What do you want for lunch?" he asked. "The fridge is almost empty, so I’ll need to go shopping."

"I’ll come too," Bai Yuyou said.

"Same here!" Tang Keke chimed in.

"You two look terrifying right now. You’d scare people if you went out like this," Ye Shuang pointed out, then reconsidered. "How about we just eat out?"

"Where?"

"Somewhere casual. We can also talk about your future studies while we’re at it," he suggested.

"Sounds good."

With that decided, Ye Shuang led the two girls out.

Since their apartment was right above a shopping plaza, dining options were plentiful—especially places like Café de Coral, where they could order fast food and chat over a meal.

"What do you feel like eating?" Ye Shuang asked as they reached the ground floor, surveying the row of restaurants ahead.

"How about Saizeriya?" Tang Keke suggested. "It’s budget-friendly."

"Saizeriya, huh…" The familiar name brought a wave of nostalgia. He’d eaten there often during his student days.

Though branded as Italian cuisine, Saizeriya was actually a Japanese chain that initially tried—and failed—to position itself as high-end Western dining. Only after pivoting to affordability did it unexpectedly take off, even expanding overseas.

In a shopping plaza where even a basic meal cost at least 30 yuan, Saizeriya’s menu was filled with dishes under 10 or 20.

"Let’s go," Ye Shuang said, suddenly craving it.

Saizeriya was on the second floor, just a quick escalator ride away.

The restaurant’s signature green decor greeted them, and the place was already nearly full despite it still being early for lunch.

"Hello, table for three?" a server asked with a smile.

"Yes."

They settled into a booth, and Ye Shuang unfolded the menu, noting that the prices remained as low as ever.

"It really is cheap. Brother, how do they keep prices this low in a place like this?" Tang Keke wondered aloud.

The rent for shops in this plaza was anything but cheap.

"Cost-cutting," Ye Shuang explained simply. "They operate on thin margins but high volume. You’ll notice there aren’t many staff, and did you know… there aren’t even chefs in the kitchen?"

Tang Keke gasped. "No chefs?!"

"Nope. The servers handle everything based on instruction manuals—most dishes are pre-prepared, so the taste is consistent. Plus, they produce a lot of their own ingredients, which saves even more money."

"That’s why Saizeriya has so many locations—good value for money."

"That’s pretty impressive."

"Keke, since you’ll eventually be helping with your parents’ business, it wouldn’t hurt to learn from other companies’ models," Ye Shuang said, then turned to Bai Yuyou.

"Yuyou, are you interested in business?"